Home Based Business Update

What’s happening?

The City of Maple Ridge is in the process of updating its home based business regulations.

What is a home based business?

Home based businesses are where a home owner or resident carries on a commercial enterprise in their home.

Why are we doing this?

As an outcome of the Commercial & Industrial Strategy (2014) Council directed staff to review the zoning regulations for home based businesses. The Implementation Plan for the Strategy included a recommendation to expand permitted uses for home based businesses with an aim to promote the City as “home based business friendly”. The intent was to modernize and improve regulations to better support home based businesses while balancing the needs of the neighbourhoods where home businesses are located.

Recognizing the importance of home based businesses to our local economy, a Home Based Business Task Force was established by the Economic Development Committee. Since the summer of 2016, the Home Based Business Task Force has been working with City Staff to support home based businesses in Maple Ridge.

What are the proposed updates?

Presented to Council in July 2017, the proposed updates were developed in collaboration between the Planning, Economic Development and Bylaw & Licencing Services Departments with input from the Home Based Business Task Force.

A number of new directions are being proposed, which include expanding:

Following the September 2017 engagement opportunities, a summary report went to Council Workshop. The October 17, 2017 Council Workshop Report summarizes the community consultation activities and feedback as well as provides a revised set of regulatory changes to the Zoning Bylaw for Council to consider. The video archive of the October 17, 2017 Council Workshop is available here.

At the October 17, 2017 meeting, Council carried the recommendation that the revised regulatory changes (now called Bylaw No. 7394-2017) be forwarded to the next Council meeting for consideration of first reading. First Reading was given to Bylaw No. 7394-2017 on October 24, 2017.

Bylaw No. 7394 – 2017 received Second Reading at the December 5th meeting and was forwarded to the January 23, 2018 Public Hearing. Following Public Hearing, the Bylaw was given Third Reading at the January 30, 2018 Regular Council Meeting. The recordings of the Public Hearing and Regular Council Meeting are available in the video archives here.

Bylaw No. 7394-2017 received Final Reading and was adopted by Council on February 27, 2018. The meeting agenda and recordings are available in the video archives here.

The full text of Maple Ridge Zone Amending Bylaw No. 7394-2017 is available here.

City staff were also available to answer questions on the proposed home based business updates at the Haney Farmers Market on Saturday September 9, 2017, Women’s AM on September 14, 2017, Babes in Business on September 19, 2017 and at the networking event, hosted by the Home Based Business Task Force, on September 22, 2017. A community survey was available to gather resident feedback at all community events as well as online until October 2, 2017.

Want to stay in touch?

Updates on the Home Based Business Update will be provided online as well as via email. If you wish to be included on the Home Based Business Email List, please send an email to employmentlands@mapleridge.ca.

Check back regularly for information about the Home Based Business Update.